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Adani clears last major hurdle for controversial mine
By Tony Moore
The Queensland government has approved the groundwater plan for Adani's controversial Carmichael mine, clearing the company's last significant environmental hurdle in the Galilee Basin.
The proposed coal mine is the first of six waiting approval to begin mining in Queensland's Galilee Basin, described as Queensland's last significant coal resource.
Department of Environment and Science officers on Thursday afternoon approved Adani Mining's latest groundwater dependent environmental management plan after Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk last month forced Queensland authorities to set deadlines for the mine's decisions.
Adani declared "construction can now begin".
Environmental groups have condemned the decision, which was welcomed by the Queensland Resources Council.
In a statement issued on Thursday afternoon, the Department of Environment and Science said it had imposed extra conditions on the approval and required Adani to install a new bore to help identify the source aquifer for the Doongmabulla Springs, a crucial issue for both the CSIRO and groundwater scientists.
"The new bore must be placed below the Rewan Formation, in the vicinity of the Doongmabulla Springs Complex, to assist in determining if the Permian aquifers (Colinlea) form a source for the springs," the DES officers said.
The department said additional information provided by the CSIRO on June 7 was important in its decision.
"The Department of Environment and Science has required additional commitments from Adani to undertake further scientific work over the next two years," the department said.
"This is required to identify any potential contribution from other aquifers and strengthen the groundwater dependent environment management plan."
Adani must complete further work to improve the understanding of the source aquifers of springs in the area, particularly the Doongmabulla Springs Complex.
That includes detailed hydrogeochemical analysis of groundwater and spring samples from different springs within each spring complex and detailed scientific tests of gases, electro-magnetic modelling and core samples from new bores.
Adani Mining has provided 11 versions of the groundwater management plan over two years, in a project which came to the Bligh government in 2010.
The groundwater plan, closely scrutinised by the CSIRO, Geosciences Australia and criticised by seven prominent groundwater scientists earlier this week, demonstrates how Adani Mining plans to protect the region's underground water supplies as the mining company extracts coal over 60 years.
One of the most contentious issues has been the impact of the mine on a group of ancient desert springs which provide underground water to several threatened vegetation species.
Those issues have been focused on the potential impact to the Doongmanbulla Springs, about seven kilometres to the south-west of the mine.
Adani's groundwater dependent management plan is the final environmental issue to be approved by both the Queensland and Australian governments and has sparked a range of protests from conservation groups and landholders.
Department compliance officers approved Adani's management plan to protect the threatened black-throated finch on May 31.
That means thermal coal will begin to be dug from the mine in about two years' time.
Queensland Environment Minister Leeanne Enoch insisted the decision to approve the groundwater plan was not made by her or anyone in the Palaszczuk government cabinet.
"It has been made by the regulator and has been backed by expert advice," she said.
"Assessment of the groundwater plan has been subject to a thorough scientific process."
Ms Enoch told Queensland's Parliament Adani had submitted the 12th version of its groundwater management plan to the environment department on Wednesday.
"The groundwater plan has been approved after significant amendments and commitments to undertake important monitoring work over the next two years and over the life of the mine," she said.
Underground mining, which is set to begin after year 10, must not commence until further seismic information was gathered during the early mining activities, the department said.
"Underground mining will not commence until these actions are completed and only if predicted impacts are consistent with approved impacts," the statement reads.
The company scaled back its planned 60 million tonnes/year coal mine to a $2 billion, 20 million tonnes/year mine.
Adani Australia has the approval to extract 60 million tonnes of coal per year from Queensland's Co-ordinator General.
However, Adani Australia chief executive Lucas Dow last month said the Adani board has told him to concentrate on building the Carmichael Mine mine up from 10 million towards 20 million tonnes per year.
Adani is no longer considering underground coal mining at the Carmichael Mine, Mr Dow said.
“To put this in perspective first and foremost what we are contemplating now is an open-cut operation,” he said.
“So we don’t contemplate any underground mine operations in the near term,” he said.
“That is well into the future and it doesn’t feature in our plans.”
He said today’s groundwater approvals gave the company the right to proceed with the mine construction and recruiting workers.
“It clears the final hurdle to allow us to commence construction on the mine site.”
“Essentially all those other permits and and requirements we will pick up as the mine progresses through that construction.”
Adani predicted last month its scaled-back Carmichael mine would produce between 850 and 1500 direct jobs, but 6750 indirect jobs throughout the central Queensland region.
The Carmichael coal mine site is 160 kilometres north of the town of Clermont in central Queensland, inland from Mackay.
-with Felicity Caldwell
Adani: A timeline
- 2010: Then-premier Anna Bligh declares the-then $16.5 billion mine a "project of state significance", which could provide 11,000 jobs.
- May 2014: Queensland's Co-ordinator General gives initial approval, but places 190 conditions on the approval.
- October 2015: The federal government gives approval, but sets 36 strict conditions.
- December 2016: Queensland and federal governments give most of the approvals for the 200-kilometre rail line linked to the Carmichael mine.
- October 2018: Several United Nations scientists warn Queensland about the impact of coal burning on the Great Barrier Reef.
- November 2018: Environmental concerns about the Carmichael Mine crystalise to two issues: protecting the endangered black-throated finch and the company's plans to protect groundwater and aquifers near ancient desert springs near the mine.
- April 2019: Then-federal environment minister Melissa Price approves the federal components of Adani's groundwater plan.
- May 2019: Federal Labor loses the 2019 federal election and two seats in Queensland.
- May 2019: Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk orders timelines for crucial decisions on Adani's Carmichael coal mine.
- May 31, 2019: Queensland's Department of Environment and Science approves Adani's plan to protect the black-throated finch.
- June 5, 2019: Climate Change activist Al Gore tells World Environment Day audience in Brisbane that India is moving away from coal as a source of power.
- June 13, 2019: Decision made on Adani's plan to protect groundwater supplies around the mines.